Chinese woman admits using impostor to take US college English test, amid crackdown on fraud by foreign students
Deportation for fraudster Huang Leyi, who flunked her Penn State University admission test but then paid US$3,000 to have someone else retake it for her
A Chinese woman pleaded guilty on Monday to cheating on a college-entrance exam, becoming the latest person to admit wrongdoing amid US probes into international students who use impostors to gain admission to American universities.
Huang Leyi, who had been attending Pennsylvania State University using a student visa, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to conspiring to defraud the United States, according to court records.
Prosecutors said Huang in March 2016 arranged to have a paid test taker sit in her place and take the TOEFL, the English-language exam used to assess foreign applicants, after she failed to achieve the minimum score needed to attend Penn State.
While she faced up to five years in prison, US District Judge Dennis Saylor sentenced Huang, 21, to time served after she agreed to be deported, according to court papers. Her lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As China has become increasingly affluent, more Chinese students have been enrolling in US colleges and universities, attracted by the prospect of a prestigious American education and good jobs.
The number of Chinese students studying in the United States in the 2016-17 academic year rose by 6.8 per cent to 350,755, the Institute of International Education reported in November.
